Getting the look you want for your home involves making tough decisions such as choosing the color, the paint finish and the paint brand. The purpose of exterior paints is to combat mildew and fading. Before you start a painting project, make sure you know the differences between exterior and interior paint so you can achieve optimum results.
The Components of Paint
All paints are composed of solvents, pigments, resins and additives. If you opt for latex paint, the solvent is water, while oil-based paint has mineral spirits. The solvent is the reason the paint becomes wet and once the paint dries the solvent will evaporate. The lasting ingredients of paint are the resins, pigments and additives. The pigment gives color to the paint and the resin binds it to the surface. Resins can be made of silicone, epoxy or acrylic. There are different properties that additives provide such as making the paint easier to apply, resisting the growth of mildew and making it easier to clean. The solvents and pigments that can be found in interior and exterior paints share similarities.
Their choice of resin is the subtle difference between interior and exterior paints. For exterior paints, the paint should have the ability to survive temperature changes especially when exposed to moisture. The exterior paint has resist chipping, fading and peeling when exposed to sunlight. Tougher exterior paint must be considered to achieve resistance to various elements.
It is recommended that the resins used for binding exterior paints are softer. Avoid using exterior paint indoors because it has added resins, which can cause outgassing. Allow surfaces to breathe by choosing a flat sheen exterior paint. You will also allow moisture to breathe this way. This is also the type of paint to use for brick walls as brick is prone to moisture.
As compared with exterior paints, interior paints are delicate. However, it is also interesting to note that interior paints do not outgas in the same way. This is why interior paints are much safer to use indoors. When painting indoors, adequate ventilation is needed. Clean and scrub the surface before painting the wall and use interior paint with glossy finish as this resists scrubbing.
While the paints can either be used outdoors or indoors, there are some paints that are both interior and exterior. Although this type of paint is considered useful and versatile, it also has its own disadvantages. Make sure you talk to a professional commercial painter so you will know which paint to use.
